Coping With a Traumatic Event

What Is a Traumatic Event?

Most everyone has been through a stressful event in his
or her life. When the event, or series of events, causes a lot of stress, it is
called a traumatic event. Traumatic events are marked by a sense of horror,
helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death. Traumatic events affect
survivors, rescue workers, and the friends and relatives of victims who have
been involved. They may also have an impact on people who have seen the event
either firsthand or on television.

What Are Some Common Responses?

A person's response to a traumatic event may vary.
Responses include feelings of
fear, grief and depression. Physical and behavioral responses include nausea,
dizziness, and changes
in appetite and sleep pattern as well as withdrawal from
daily activities. Responses to trauma can last for weeks to months before people
start to feel normal again.

Most people report feeling better within three months
after a traumatic event. If the problems become worse or last longer than one
month after the event, the person may be suffering from post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).

What Is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) is an intense physical and emotional
response to thoughts and reminders of the event that last for many weeks or
months after the traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD fall into three broad
types: re-living, avoidance and increased arousal.

Symptoms of re-living
include flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme emotional and physical reactions
to reminders of the event. Emotional reactions can include feeling guilty,
extreme fear of harm, and numbing of emotions. Physical reactions can include
uncontrollable shaking, chills or heart palpitations, and tension headaches .

Symptoms of avoidance
include staying away from activities, places, thoughts, or feelings related to
the trauma or feeling detached or estranged from others.

Symptoms of increased arousal include being overly alert or
easily startled, difficulty sleeping, irritability or outbursts of anger, and lack of
concentration. Other symptoms linked with PTSD include: panic attacks,
depression, suicidal thought and feelings, drug abuse, feelings of
being estranged and isolated, and not being able to complete daily tasks.